Dance premier celebrates ABQ artist, Santa Fe’s 20th year as a UNESCO Creative City

Zeitgeist Dance Theatre, a professional Santa Fe contemporary dance company, will premiere four original works, collectively called Lineage, at 7 p.m. August 2 at the National Hispanic Cultural Center’s Albuquerque Journal Theatre. By acclaimed choreographers Francisco Gella, Yusha-Marie Sorzano, Noelle Keyser, Joshua Whitehead, and Rhaine Marquardt, it will be performed by a cast of 70 dancers.

The evening highlights Santa Fe’s 20th year as a UNESCO Creative City, paying tribute to New Mexico’s rich heritage inspired by the artistic process and work of contemporary Albuquerque weaver and artist Emily Trujillo, a descendent of eight generations of Trujillo family weavers.

The event also marks the culmination of the Zeitgeist Dance Theatre’s 2025 summer season and July residency of exceptional international dancers and choreographers.

For reserved seating tickets, visit newcenturydanceproject.org/concerts.

ZDT’s annual performance is part of the New Century Dance Project: New Mexico’s Festival of Performance & Choreography held July 26 – August 3 in Santa Fe and Albuquerque. The festival, led by co-artistic director Gella, unites dance artists across diverse genres. Every summer, nearly 100 pre-professional, emerging, and professional artists and educators descend on New Mexico for concerts, classes, workshops, and activities focused on performance and choreography, guided by world-renowned teaching artists.

“With Lineage, we are delving into the deeply rooted artistic tradition of weaving through the visionary, forward-looking work of New Mexico artist Emily Trujillo,” Gella said. “In our creative process, we’ve uncovered striking parallels between weaving, choreography, and dance. … Through this work, we’re exploring how these traditions—so soulful and spirit-driven—can inspire new, experimental expressions that honor the past while shaping the future.”